Abstracts
- Modular Abstract Journal
A collection of six modular abstracts for articles relating to the subject of indexing and surrogation.
Archival Description
- St. Mary’s Records
A partial description of available records relating to the Assumption of the Blessed Virigin Mary Parish (Catholic) of Albion, NY held within a personal collection.
Collection Development Policy
- Internal Training Document
- Public Collection Policy
A collection development policy drafted for a pseudo-academic library given the name “Martin Luther Memorial Library.” The document is the result of a collaborated effort to develop a policy focused around the selection of materials for a small to medium sized academic library. One document was created for public viewing, while an additional document was created for internal training purposes.
Instruction
- Adjutant General of New York – Reference Sources for New York Civil War Research
A collection of valuable resources focused around Civil War soldiers located at the Rundell Library in Rochester, NY was used as the subject for this information literacy instruction project. A website was developed in order to provide a step-by-step instructional resource for library users. The site takes users through the initial information needed to conduct a search of Rundell’s Civil War collection through several key sources and leaves the user with options to gather further information on their ancestors by accessing information through the National Archives.
Literature Reviews – Collaborative
- Music Information Retrieval and Human Information Seeking Behavior
This literature review examines the methods in which users search for music through music information retrieval systems (MIR Systems). Special attention is paid to the building blocks of MIR systems and the human behavior associated with the use and development of those systems. Attention is also given to the implications of MIR systems to the indexing profession and the future direction of MIR systems.
Literature Reviews – Independent
- Increasing Academic Dishonesty and Copyright Infringement in Universities
Plagiarism and copyright violations are becoming a frequent occurance on college campuses. This literature review focuses on current research aimed at understanding the prevalence of academic dishonesty cases in U.S. colleges and the reasons behind their occurance. Some attention is given to copyright infringement in cases where overlapping with academic dishonesty occurs. This literature review represents the focal area of my library-related research interests; how information literacy can and should be applied to college-level coursework as a means for preventing academic dishonesty. - Cataloging & Description in Archives and Manuscript Repositories – A Syntax Standard vs. A Semantic Standard
This literature review examines the difficulty experienced by archivists in regards to applying standardized language limitations and controlled vocabularies into item description. Instead, archivists will need to create standardized methods for formatting and information arrangement to assist users with retrieval. - Microform vs. Digital in Document Preservation
This literature review examines the roll of microform and digital imaging in the preservation of recorded information in the archival setting. Although digital imaging produces high-quality copies of vital records, the technology is currently in a “fad” state where the cost vs. effectiveness does not outweigh those of microform. While digital scanning and photography produces high-quality, colored images, microform can only produce black and white images that are often of lesser quality. The cost of storing and displaying digital images while taking into account the need for effective virtual storage of the files creates a costly endeavor for libraries and archives. The argument ultimately boils down to an access issue. If digital images will not be utilized in a way which increases user access, then the method should not be utilized.
Management and Marketing
- Management Plan Presentation
This collaborative plan involved drafting a proposal for the implementation of a new library service or resource (video game collection in this case) for a selected library (public library in this case). The group created a proposal which covered the basics of the user base being served, a SWOT analysis, marketing plan, and budget proposal. My work was focused on budgetary calculations for implementing the collection as well as maintaining the collection. The group worked in an online setting via e-mail to complete the proposal.
Pathfinders
- Government Information – Genealogy
A pathfinder, in the form of a website, was created using government information sources that are useful to beginner and intermediate genealogists and family history researchers. The pathfinder contains a variety of instructional and information resources as well as databases containing primary source documents and images that may be useful to researchers. Databases include those that are operated by the government as well as databases operated by non-government entities but which contain documents created by the government (i.e. census records through Familysearch.org). Links to pay-sites that libraries would hold paid subscriptions to (i.e. Ancestry.com) are also included. The pathfinder is focused around free genealogical resources. - Polish-American Genealogy
A pathfinder, in the form of a website, based on key items used in Polish-American genealogy. A wide variety of resources and formats are included to help beginner to intermediate genealogists work on their family history relating to Polish Ancestry. The pathfinder consists of databases and materials that are free-access or are commonly made available for free to library users.
Thesauri
- Early Republic American History – Controlled Vocabulary
A controlled vocabulary developed for hobby historians and leisure readers for subjects relating to Early Republic American History, approximately 1775 to 1860.